


From Darkness to Light

by LadyNightingGaleofMilvania, roshytsunami



Series: FFXV Halloween week 2019 [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dark Fae!Aranea, F/F, Ghost Hamsters, I promise, Light Fae!Lunafreya, body swapping, it's cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-08 08:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21232724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania/pseuds/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania, https://archiveofourown.org/users/roshytsunami/pseuds/roshytsunami
Summary: Dark Fae and Light Fae, the two had been enemies for almost as long as time. Lunafreya, an Oracle of the Light Fae, meets Aranea, a Dark Fae, and the two fight over a stone that would forever change them...





	From Darkness to Light

The first thing Aranea notices when she sits up after encountering one of the notorious fairies of the light is somehow she has switched to heels, not her normal boots she adorned before the bright blast was activated by the Oracle of light, Luanfreya. They’re not even combative heels. They’re worthless heels with a strap around the ankle as if that would be protection enough, not to mention the white silk-like material in her lap is nothing to laugh about. She would recognize that dress no matter where she was at. Which brings the question: why she is in Lunafreya’s clothes and not her own?

“Hey princess,” she growls, the sound low in her throat, before covering her hands over her mouth.

What was that? Why does her voice sound so strange, so much like Lunafreya’s?! She grumbles to herself standing up on wobbling legs due to the stupid heels before feeling off-balance, this time not caused by the heels. Her back wasn't heavy. In fact, it feels light, almost bare. She reaches behind her back and feels nothing there. She’s about to scream at Lunafreya when she spots her body on the ground, moving on its own.

Something is definitely wrong.

It’s more than eerie to see your own face to staring back at you in confusion, even more so to see it move with such grace and manners before a look of horror passes over their face. Luna stood up and picked at the clothes on her body. Why all the black? Where were her heels and dress? She found the answer when she looked up, however, staring into her own face that was mirroring the shock she felt. This can’t be possible. She must be staring at an illusion, a mimic of some sort. She holds her hands out in front of her seeing black leather gloves not her hands. She looks down at her lap seeing and feeling the tight black pants covering her legs along with the brownish-red boot. 

“What─” she started, stopping immediately when she realized that her voice sounded so foreign, so much unlike her own, and had to force the rest of the words out, “What did you do?”

“Right, always blame the dark fae. I didn’t do shit princess. You attacked me and that bright light flashed. I got knocked out and woke up like this,” she sneers.

Aranea rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she fidgeted with the outfit that was now on her body, struggling to move in the fabric.

“Damn, how do you even wear this dress?” she grumbles walking through the soft ground. “I’m going to twist my ankle with this flimsy garb,” she states looking down at herself “Don’t you know how to fix this since you did this?”

Luna has been taught from an early age to always keep her composure to always reply in soft kind words even when dealing with enemies. It is proper for a princess to not lose her temper and express her truest emotions least the enemy find her weakness and gets the upper hand. However, Luna is no longer in her body and is therefore no longer a prince who must look composed and gentle at all times. She forcefully stands up, nearly losing her balance, and glares at her body which was now containing Aranea. “I would never wish to switch with such a disgusting dark fae. I did not do this to myself. This is your fault for being a corrupt fae!

“So you’re saying you would switch with a dark fae just not me then,” Aranea smirks, hearing an undignified groan from Luna.

Luna turns around, body shaking from anger when she spots it. She kneels down on the ground and picks up the overturned broken rune and gasps. “We’ve stepped over Sela Polarstone runes.”

“... Ok and that means what exactly,” Aranea asks, not understanding the connection.

Runes were used in the dark fae community but not as often as with the light fae. Why write a rune when you could just curse someone with your skills or words on your lips instead?

“If you could just be silent I could read these and tell you,” Luna snapped back, eyes darting to her body and then back to the stone.

Aranea sighs loudly, feeling a warmth flow through her body. Well, that was new. Best way to handle something new? Ignore it until it goes away or causes a problem. It’s weird seeing her facial expressions perform in different movements than what she is used to seeing. Seriously does she look that constipated when thinking?

“It says something about being one, being together─”

“Is it a sex rune? Do we need to have sex to break the curse?” Aranea grins, seeing the shock on her face and snorting. “Cause no offense princess, but not interested.”

Luna narrows her eyes before taking a deep breath, “If I can continue, it has the old meaning of togetherness,” she states, seeing the blank stare on Aranea’s face. “Brotherhood, or sisterhood in this case. It mentions differences coming together, meaning we have to experience each other’s lives for a while, but for how long I don’t know...” she traces the broken rune in her hand. “The end of this rune was smashed, most likely by our previous fight.”

“So the likelihood of us returning to normal─”

“Slim to none, I’m afraid."

Aranea grew frustrated and, when it because unbearable, she began to glow. Not a natural glowing from happiness glow, but a full-on beam of light encompassing her body glow. She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

“How do I turn this off?!”

“Take some deep breaths!” Luna answered, turning around quickly to face Aranea, “If you let your emotions be that wild then the magic will control you!”

Control her emotions? What the hell was that supposed to mean? She honestly wished she could control the headache that threatened to split her skull, finding herself sprawled on the floor after attempting to step forward.

Luna walks over towards her quickly and places a hand on her shoulder, speaking slowly, “You need to breathe it out or it will get worse,” she states, pouring her energy into the hand on Aranea’s shoulder.

Aranea hisses and pushes her hand away, “Don’t do your healing thing,” she winces holding her head. “You’re not in your body, remember?”

Luna pulls her hand back, shocked, “did I corrupt you, corrupt myself?!”

“No... just poison but it was a little bit not a lot so I won’t die, at least,” Aranea grimaces.

Damn this is hard trying to ‘zen’ her body or whatever Luna said about being calm. How can you be calm with a splitting headache, or worse glowing so brightly. The pain intensifies and she shuts her eyes thinking.

“Ok, think calm,” she says to herself Luna giving her an odd look. “Uh washing off blood from a long day, mudbaths, murder. It’s not working,” she growled, wincing as she looked to Luna.

Luna glares at her, “You have to be honest when calming yourself.”

Aranea blinks at her, “That doesn’t even make sense.”

Luna sighs, “You can’t be calm if you are not truthful with yourself. Dishonesty builds up and causes tempers to rise, be honest for once.”

Aranea glares at her before the pain returns and she sighs, “Fine... but I am honest, not my fault if you take what I say in a different meaning. Honest and calm shit... ok,” she says, looking at her face give her encouragement. “Bubbles. Bubbles rolling on the ground, Bubbles stuffing his cheeks,” she smiles. “Bubbles letting out that cute little meep and those doe eyes. Bubbles clacking when he walks,” she says, the glow beginning to calm down as she let’s out a long sigh.

Luna watched as Aranea’s glow dulled until it was nonexistent before asking, “So… who is Bubbles?” 

Aranea looks over at Luna and looks away, “my hamster...he’s the most precious adorable bean and if you tell anyone─”

Luna couldn’t help but laugh, tears welling up in her eyes. It so unexpected, but it was cute at the same time.

“I won’t, I won’t! I swear it!” she continued to giggle.

“Stop laughing like that in my body, it’s _ weird _ hearing myself giggle,” Aranea shot back, trying to hide the fact that one corner of her lips quirked slightly up, “So I have to get into this _ zen _ thing, are all your fae powers like that? It’s nothing like what I have to do to control mine.”

“Oh?”

Aranea grins, “I don’t know if I should say,” she teases.

Luna pouts, “Oh it can’t be that different from our own use of powers.”

She snorts, “Well you almost poisoned me when you tried to do that healing light thing oracles do. It wouldn’t have ended well,” she sighs rubbing her head. “I’m fine, not hurt so don’t worry about that but our powers are more with emotion which is why staying calm is driving me nuts right now. How can you stand to be just one emotion? It’s weird,” she says earning a glare from her own face.

“See that right there none of you guys do that or you do at us all the time but never smile or anything it’s weird,” she states before thinking. 

“Right well it may be because if we don’t control ourselves like dark fae we lose control of our powers like dark fae most often do,” she quips.

Aranea rolls her eyes and leans over Aranea staring down at Luna, “We control ourselves just fine. We actually feel our emotions, and don’t become stone,” she growls. “Like right now if I was in my true body and used just a pinky finger and swirled it like so,” she says, touching behind Luna’s ear. “I could gain your most recent memory of your worst or best feeling and make you relive it.” She smiles pulling her hand away. “It helps fae sometimes to go into absolute hell or,” she says, slowing her words, “Absolute bliss princess.”

“Like this?” Luna asks, trying to imitate what Aranea had done.

Suddenly Aranea started smiling─it was definitely odd to see your own body smile without looking in a mirror─Luna sees images of a hamster pass through her mind as Aranea looks to be in complete bliss seeing a hamster stuff its cheeks with various nuts. It’s adorable but it is slightly creepy seeing an undead skeleton hamster eat nuts that keep falling out of its mouth on the ground. The poor thing just picks up the regurged half eaten nut and sticks it back through its mouth as it falls out of its cheeks once more. It’s eerily adorable.

Luna pulls her hand back from Aranea, watching the blissful looks crumble and fall from her face. She watches her body blink its eyes before a rosy blush blooms on her face.

“I uh... yeah like that,” Aranea coughs, trying to cover up her blush. She can feel that buzzing warmth again and doesn’t want to lose control like she did before. “Anyway, how do we switch back?” she asks, changing the subject.

Luna smiles gently keeping the information for later. “I told you it was not clear only mentioned togetherness which could mean almost anything.” Her stomach chooses to grumble loudly at that moment. She places a hand on her belly feeling heat enter her cheeks.

Aranea grins, “Hungry princess?” she teases.

“Yes, well I suppose so. But where can we find somewhere to eat?” Luna asks, looking at her body chuckle. “I don’t understand the humor, but surely there must be somewhere to eat?”

“Uh hate to be the bearer of bad news but there’s no shops or stores around for miles... You gotta hunt to eat,” Aranea states cracking her knuckles. “And hunting is something I’m good at,” she laughs standing up. “The trick is to find something to track. Shouldn’t be too hard there’s a few Catoblepas up by the stream bound to be more prey around.”

“Catoblepas?” Luna asks gulping. “Aren’t they the giant?” Luna continues, making a movement with her hands to symbolize the Catoblepas. Araena laughs.

“Yeah they are but they aren’t that bad to handle. Make good steaks,” Aranea grins, walking a few steps before tripping over her own heels. She catches herself and sighs, “Heels aren’t great for tracking,” she states, taking a long look at her body which Luna inhabits. “But the boots are great.”

“Are you suggesting...” Luna asks, biting her lips. “I couldn’t possibly hurt an animal. I don’t know the first thing about hunting or─”

Aranea wraps her arm around Luna’s shoulder and grins, “Don’t worry princess you won’t have to do much. Just lead them to me and I can shoot them down.”

“Lead what exactly?” Luna asks as Aranea only grins. That grin being displayed on her face does not suit her. It does not suit her at all.

Luna decides she hates hunting. It’s not only boring waiting for prey but exhausting. She hasn’t been able to bring in anything for Aranea to spear or shoot at. She startles the easiest prey into the woods and Aranea can’t keep up in her current body.

“Geez princess do you ever exercise?” she pants. “My muscles are burning and I haven’t even run a mile yet.”

“Forgive me, but I am not one for running senseless like a common criminal such as yourself,” Luna says frustratedly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Aranea waves her hand at her, “Whatever. Look if we don’t catch anything soon then we don’t eat and you don’t want to hunt after dark. Nothing edible and flans appear everywhere. So you either get it together or we starve tonight, got it!”

Luna pinches her lips together, “Fine! Fine!” She says before storming off grumbling to herself. She’s so focused on her inner dialogue she doesn’t hear Aranea calling for her. It’s too little too late as she feels Aranea slam into her body throwing her down on the ground.

“Are you insane?” she screeches, staring up at her body grimace getting into an odd pose. “Shit, knife!” she says grabbing a knife off Luna’s belt before stabbing the voretooth under the chin. “A little help?” she asks trying to push the creature back but with little success in her current body.

Luna dispatches a polearm, ramming it into the top of the creatures head and looks at Aranea dazzled. “That was─”

“Not over yet,” Aranea states hearing the howls. “It called for help, get ready,” she states, twisting Luna around and grabbing a second knife for her other hand. “Neck, thigh, chest or midsection take them out the best in that order,” she tells her as a group of the monsters begin to descend upon both of them.

Aranea yells, charging for the nearest voretooth and begins to dodge and slash at the beast as best as she can in her new body. It’s unbalanced and unnerving trying to kill such a beast. Luckily Luna knows how to use a polearm and is easily dispatching the monsters one by one. Aranea glances to the side and sees Luna jump over one of the creatures while using the polearm as leverage to stab the creature and flip onto the next once slicing its neck with the back end of the weapon. It makes her stop in her tracks for a moment before she is handling her own voortooth.

After taking care of the pack of vortooth Aranea pants hunched over on her knees. “Where’d... where’d you learn that,? she puffs out, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Luna smiles shyly, stepping over the demons easily, “Well one can’t depend on having an unlimited supply of mana. My trident would have been best but your polearm worked just as well.”

Aranea raises an eyebrow, “You have a trident? Huh, learn something new every day,” she says looking at their kills. “Hmm guess it voortooth tonight. Hope you’re hungry,” she smiles as Luna gives her an uneasy smile. How do you cook the poison out from a voortooth?

\------

Aranea had started the fire Luna just had to keep it going as she sliced the edible meat from the carcass. She watches her cut the meat into thin slices and winces.

“Are you sure that is edible? It had the starscourge. It’s infected,” Luna states as Aranea punctures the meat with her knife before placing it on a long stick. She walks back over towards Luna and plops down on one of the logs handing her the stick of meat.

“Look you can either eat or be hungry for the night. It’s not going to kill you. Sunlight burns demons right,” she states, placing her piece of meat over the fire. “So when you cook with fire,” she starts as black pus begins to drain from the meat burning in the fire. “Demons don’t like sun or fire of any kind so as long as you cook it all the way you are safe,” she says, looking over at Luna dangle the stick in front of her as if it was going to bite her.

“No, hold it like this,” Aranea instructs, adjusting Luna’s hand on the stick to cook the meat. She notices the touch of their hands and chuckles, “There you go. You got it.”

Luna looks away, blushing before returning her gaze towards the sky. “I’ve never seen so many stars before.” Aranea watches the meat cook in the fire as Luna continues. “It’s so peaceful out here... well except for the demons but you don’t see stars often in the city of light. Too much smog and buildings cover the sky.”

“Yeah, it is nice being free in the wilderness. No rules, just living off the land,” Aranea pulls her meat from the fire, grimacing. “It gets old after a while.” Luna rubs her wrists awkwardly and feels the bangles under the gloves. Aranea startles, “Hey don’t take those off! You want to get killed?!”

“Why? It’s just jewelery or some magical power up isn’t it?” she asks, seeing Aranea focus on the fire. “Aranea?”

“Just take them off and see what happens,” she says.

Luna looks down at the bangles. They don’t appear to be anything special─no jewels, no sigils displayed─just a pair of silver bangles that could use a good polish. She takes off one of the bangles and then the other feeling relief as her wrist are finally free. She feels ecstatic, more than that she feels something growing inside her. It’s not a warmth and not a coldness it just is. It feels as if being covered in a heavy blanket but in a very uncomfortable position. As if losing her breath under the blanket. It’s stiffling and constricting before it releases and she feels at ease, more than at ease she’s relaxed.

“What so bad,” she starts before hearing the gravel sound of her voice. Aranea has backed away from her. “Aranea?”

“Put the bangles back on, can’t you see what you are doing right now?” she asks Luna.

Luna looks around and sees the scourage leaking from her fingertips down into the ground. She doesn’t hesitate and wiggles the bangles back onto her wrists quickly. Almost immediately she feels the pressure return and watches as the scourage settles on the ground before being soaked into the earth.

“You... that was the scourage?”

“Yeah, the bangles keep it under control.”

“Control?” she asks, shaking.

“Uh yeah?” Aranea sighs, “Didn’t mean to freak you out that much─”

“That not why I’m feeling upset. You can control the scourage with the bangles? Everyone can do this?” she asks, standing.

“Uh yeah since we’ve been born? We get the bangles when we are older becuase we don’t leak much of it when we are younger. More of a puberty thing. Why are you so mad?” she asks watching Luna pace in her body. It’s disturbing. “Hey, it’s not that bad. And it’s not your body you have to live with forever.”

“That’s not the point, dark fae have been able to control the scourage and no one has known?!”

Aranea raises an eyebrow, “No, you guys know but refuse to accept it.”

“That’s just it! No one in my kingdom knows it can be controlled. That’s why you and your kind was banished. Because it was said once a fae was infected with scourage and became a dark fae it could never be contained,” she says voice high. “It’s...this is impossible. How could we be so wrong?”

Aranea frowns, “You... light fae never asked or we told you and you didn’t listen? It doesn’t matter, you know the truth now so do something with it,” she says waving her hand at her.

“But Aranea,” Luna starts sadly.

“Hey, no crying in my body,” she says jabbing her in the shoulder with her finger. “I look stupid crying.” Luna tears up and her lip quivers before she sniffles trying to hold the tears back. “Betrayed by my own puppy eyes. Look let’s just finish eating and head to bed we can deal with this in the morning.”

“How can you be so nonchalant about this? Aren’t you angry,” she starts as Aranea turns her back on her. “How can you stand this?” she asks plopping down on the ground. “This is─”

“It is what it is,” Aranea states kicking her heels on the ground. “I’m used to it, but thanks for feeling sorry princess. Being a dark fae sucks some days but light fae having to control their emotions all the time. I couldn’t handle that,” she sighs. “Look, eat your voortooth and go to sleep. I don’t feel like having an epiphany moment right now. Too tired for it,” she yawns.

Luna can’t let it go. How can she let something so wrong go? She looks at Aranea chewing on the meat pulling it from the stick relaxed even in this situation. It’s a bit soothing and they can tackle this injustice tomorrow after they figure out how to switch back into their own bodies.

“Right let’s just eat and look at the stars,” she says, earning a nod from Aranea. She bites into the meat and is surprised by the flavor. Who knew voortooth would taste halfway decent?

Once both women have finished eating it’s a matter of settling down for the night. Aranea is use to sleeping on such awkward and hard conditions but Luna-

Aranea sighs rolling on her back, “Can you settle down?!” She hisses at the other woman.

Luna sighs, “it’s uncomfortable and these rocks keep poking into my back.”

“Ugh, you at least have armor I’m in a dressing laying on the ground,” Aranea whispers back. “Look just lay on my chest, you go enough cushion on her to be soft.”

Luna blushes bright red, “Are you asking me─”

“Hey they're your boobs, use them as a pillow and don’t make it weirder than it already is. The offer won’t last long,” Aranea states clearing her throat.

Luna sits up before making her decison and walks over towards Aranea and scoots closer towards her body laying her head on her own chest. She tries to focus on remaining still but this is just so strange. It’s her body she is laying on so why is she having an issue of calming down?

“Thank you Aranea.”

Aranea huffs, “Yeah sure,” she manages to get out without squeaking or mixing her words. “Just go to sleep.”

Luna snuggles closer to Aranea and closes her eyes trying to concentrate on just sleeping. Soon both women are sleeping together under the stars.

\-----

The next morning Luna wakes first beginning to rise only to feel something heavy laying across her chest. She looks down and sees Aranea─the real Aranea─sleeping on her chest and turns beat red. Instantly the warmth in her body accelerates magic waiting to be spilled out. She moves quickly from the ground making Aranea lose her pillow and instead cracking her head on the ground.

“What the hell?” Aranea groans waking up slowly. She sees Luna a few feet away glowing and breathing in and out slowly. She blinks her eyes a few times and looks again. It’s the real Luna body and all. “Does this mean─” she starts before running her hands over her face and then her body. “Oh my gosh my body. We got our bodies back,” she woots loudly as Luna smiles at her holding her excitement inside.

Aranea leaps up and tests out her new body excited. “Oh my gosh, I am never going to curse my muscles again. My muscles, so good to see you,” she says hugging her middle as Luna giggles at her. Aranea flushes and rubs the back of her head. “Ha yeah, so I guess this means we go back to how it was... enemies?”

Luna sombers and looks down at her feet, “I, I suppose so,” she states quietly.

Aranea frowns waiting for Luna to make the next move. When Luna seems to just stand there contemplating Aranea falls on the ground wincing.

Luna looks in her direction, “Oh no Aranea─”

“Oh no Luna you bitch. You blasted me─”

Luna looks flabbergasted, “I did no such thing!”

“Oof the pain, so much pain,” Aranea says, holding her leg to her chest before looking over at Luna. “So I’m making eggs you want any?”

It takes a moment before Luna can comprehend where Aranea has lead her. She looks at the other woman and chuckles before letting out a light laughter staring at the other woman who is grinning.

“Oh no, how dare a light fae show emotion,” she smiles as Luna takes a seat by her side. Aranea sits up smiling. “You know this could end horribly.”

Luna pauses a moment looking into Aranea’s eyes, “I like scrambled eggs.”


End file.
